Regulation

Mexico plans to suspend unregistered mobile lines very early in 2026, a deadline that allows only a matter of weeks for consumers to respond.

The long-anticipated merger of Telenor Pakistan with Pakistan Telecomm­unication Company Ltd (PTCL) does now appear to be close to becoming a reality after it received the approval of The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) late last week.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency for digital technologies, has announced that the next Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27) will take place in Shanghai, China, from 11 October to 12 November 2027.

A UNDP report, published this week, warns that unmanaged artificial intelligence (AI) could reverse the trend of narrowing development inequalities that has marked much of the last half-century.

Madagascar’s Ministry of Digital Development has confirmed that the country’s operators will cut internet tariffs from this week, following talks aimed at boosting digital access, as reported by TechAfrica News.

Zimbabwe plans to introduce what it calls a 15% Digital Services Withholding Tax from January 2026. The new levy will apply to a wide range of services supplied by foreign companies with no physical presence in Zimbabwe.

Member States of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) agreed on a roadmap to bring connectivity to everyone around the world as the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25) closed last week in Baku, Azerbaijan.

A partnership agreement has been announced between the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised agency for digital technologies, and Senegalese regulator ARTP. The aim of this agreement is to support young women in digital development.

South African operator Vodacom and Remgro, a diversified investment holding company, have announced that regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has approved Vodacom’s acquisition of a minority stake in Vumatel’s parent company. The transaction will be implemented on 1 December.

The three member states of the confederation known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso – have signed an agreement to coordinate the use of radio frequencies along their shared borders.

Efforts to curb alleged misuse of pre-registered SIM cards in Nigeria are continuing. Telecommunications regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced new measures aimed at eliminating the sale and use of these cards, according to local reports.

The United Arab Emirates regulator, The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), has announced the launch of what it calls the 6th Generation (6G) Initiative in the country.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) reportedly plans to block satellite operators linked to China from providing services to broadcasters and teleport operators in the name of national security.

There is bad news for operators in both Chad and Zambia, whose telecommunications regulators have highlighted what they see as serious quality of service (QoS) deficiencies in their mobile communications offerings.

Tanzania has been accused of shutting down internet access and restricting social media around recent elections that saw protests accusing the state of hindering democracy after the main opposition party, Chadema, was barred from participating, and its leader, Tundu Lissu, was arrested on treason charges.

Mozambique’s government has made 5G coverage compulsory in all provincial capitals, while scrapping its earlier plan to auction spectrum licences to mobile operators.

Malaysia and Timor Leste reportedly signed two MoUs to cooperate on telecoms and media development just before Timor Leste officially became a member of ASEAN on Sunday, while also revealing that data roaming services have been activated between the two countries.

Two recent news stories – from Madagascar and Chad – indicate that some African regulators feel they need to respond strongly to public concerns about quality and cost of mobile services – although powers to enforce these responses often differ from country to country.

Sixty-five nations have signed what is being described as a landmark United Nations treaty in Hanoi aimed at tackling cybercrime.

Turkey's 5G spectrum tender, confirmed in August, is over and, according to Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, it well exceeded the target of US$2.125 billion, which was set as the minimum value.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is reportedly set to auction off 700-MHz spectrum at the start of next year, although how much spectrum will be available depends on a pending court case, which could impact operator interest in the auction.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Kemkomdigi) has reportedly announced that it will kick off its auction for 80 MHz of spectrum in the 1.4 GHz band (1432–1512 MHz) on October 13.

It’s been a busy week for ICT in Zambia with the approval of two new bills for the digital economy, a new strategic plan announced by Zambia's ICT regulator and the awarding of a World Bank grant that reports suggest may be used for digital infrastructure.

The Tunisian government has reportedly announced plans for a staggering 138 projects to accelerate the digital modernisation of government administration over the period 2025–2026.

The latest government attack on internet connectivity – and one of the most drastic so far – comes from Afghanistan, where ruling group the Taliban this week imposed an internet ban on the northern Balkh province, where a Wi-Fi shutdown was confirmed on Tuesday. The Taliban has said that the fibre optic internet ban will eventually be nationwide.

Four of Peru’s mobile operators – Bitel, Claro, Entel and Integratel - have obtained spectrum for 5G deployment. A fifth, Americatel, which had prequalified for the bidding process, reportedly did not participate in the auction.

Vodafone Idea is pushing back against a fresh demand from India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT), which is seeking INR94.5 billion (US$1.1 billion) in outstanding adjusted gross revenue (AGR) charges from both Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel.

Fiji’s Ministry of Trade, Co-operatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications has officially issued 5G spectrum licences to the country’s three major mobile operators.

Around 3.1 billion people are not connected to the internet despite living in coverage areas, highlighting a massive global usage gap.

UPDATE: The BBC has reported that Nepal has lifted a social media ban, which sparked protests and led to clashes with police that left at least 19 people dead and injured more than 100 others.

Can countries balance access to an undoubtedly popular and convenient service with an effective response to predatory lending practices, data abuse, high interest rates, and aggressive debt collection practices, to name only a few? That’s the question about digital lending that regulators in Kenya and Nigeria are trying to answer.